52 Weeks of Sales Success

Ralph R. Roberts is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed real estate agent, speaker, sales coach, consultant, and author. His articles have been featured in a host of national publications, online and in print, and he has authored and coauthored numerous books, including Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman; Advanced Selling For Dummies; Cross-Cultural Selling For Dummies; Mortgage Myths; and Foreclosure Myths, all from Wiley. For more about Ralph, visit AboutRalph.com.

• Preface xiAcknowledgments xvWeek 1 Start Now 1Do the Hardest Thing First 1Tell Everyone You Know What You Do 2Remain Positive 3Work For Today, Tomorrow, and Your Future 3Stick to It 4Week 2 Stay Put 6Week 3 Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Mindset 9Procure Tools and Resources 9Market Yourself 11Hire Employees (Assistants) 11Build a Sales Team 12Week 4 Project a Positive Attitude 13Surround Yourself with Positive People 14Seek Out Positive Ideas 14Banish Negativity and Self-Defeatism 15Master the Art of Positive Talk 15Week 5 Set Goals 18Associate with Fellow Goal Setters 19Set a Goal 19Set a Deadline 20Break Down Your Goal Into Milestones 21Week 6 Devise a Plan 22Essential Elements of a Business Plan 22Business Description 23Market Focus 23Situation Analysis 24Vision Statement 24Revenue Projections 25Budget 26Start-Up Money 26Week 7 Develop Systems and Procedures 28Document Your Job 29Identify Procedures 30Delegate the Work 31Week 8 Hire an Assistant 32Recruit Assistants 33Screen the Candidates 34Visual or Virtual? 40Retain Your Best Assistants 41Week 9 Prioritize 42Stephen’s Not-So-Secret Secret 43Rediscover Your A-B-Cs 44Day Job, Night Job 45Week 10 Know Your Product 46Use Your Productor Service . . . IF Possible 47Recruit Referrals 48Week 11 Know Your Clients 49Who’s Really Your Client? 49Use What You Sell 50Participate in Consumer Communities 50Consult with Other Departments 51Learn Your Customer’s Business 51Gather Feedback from Clients 52Week 12 Recognize the Difference between Customers and Clients 54Be a Salesperson, Not an Order Taker 55Customer Service Is Key 55Become a Problem Solver 55Week 13 Under-Promise, Over-Deliver 57Ask! 58Uncover Soft Expectations 58Follow Up 59Think Total Service 59Week 14 Leverage the Power of Your Disabilities 61Identify Your Abilities and Disabilities 62Identify the Positive in Your Disabilities 62Week 15 Turn Problems into Opportunities 64Look for Trouble 64Become a Problem Solver 65Look for Problems in Your Own Business, Too 66Week 16 Brand Yourself: You, Inc. 68Nailing Down My Brand 69Assemble a Marketing Packet 69Week 17 Engage in Shameless Self-Promotion 72Focus on Self-Promotion 73Make It a Priority 73Start on the Internet 74Distribute Regular Press Releases 75Draw Free Publicity and Positive Press 76Invest in Paid Advertising 77Week 18 See Business Where It Isn’t 79Identify Unserved and Underserved Markets 80Train Your Mind to Spot Opportunities 81Build Business Synergies 82Week 19 Brainstorm Problem Solving with Your Staff 83Ask for Help 84Don’t Get Hung Up on Hierarchy 85Foster a Problem-Solving Atmosphere 85Think Ends, Not Means 85Week 20 Focus on Your Clients’ Success 87Your Success Is My Success 87Success Breeds Success 88Your Mission Statement 89Week 21 Write Notes to Your Clients 90Week 22 Launch Your Weekly Hour of Power—100 Calls in 60 Minutes 93Harvesting Pearls Called Referrals 94No Selling! 94No Interruptions! 95Keep a Tally Sheet 95Week 23 Master the 10-10-20 Technique 97The Technique 97Another Way to Network 98Adjust the Technique 99Week 24 Hone Your Networking Skills 101Week 25 Market Your Home-Based Business 104Bargain for an Advantage 105Niche Marketing 105Seek Feedback Constantly 106Be Consistent 106Set Aside Time Every Week for Marketing 106Week 26 Master a New Technology 107Week 27 Explore Marketing Opportunities on the Internet 111Build Your Own Web Site 112Build Communities through Blogging 113Drive Traffic to Your Web Sites and Blogs 114Add a Signature File to Your E-Mail Messages 115Week 28 Reward Yourself 116Create a Reward Collage 116Reward Yourself before a Sale 117Fine-Tune Your Reward System 118Week 29 Find a Better Place to Meet Your Clients 120Choose a Place with the Right Ambience 120Set the Stage 121Navigate an Office Meeting 122Week 30 Improve the Way You Ask and Answer Questions 123Ask Questions that Require Some Explanation from Your Client 124Try to Answer a Question with a Question of Your Own 124Break Down Bad News into Terms that Are Easier to Accept 125Week 31 Perfect Your Tele-Sales Skills 126Make a Lot of Calls 127No Scripts 128The “Mirroring” Technique 128Have Something to Say When You Call 129Week 32 Shadow a Top-Producing Salesperson 130My Sales Mentors 131Identify Prospective Mentors 132Hire a Sales Coach 133Week 33 Team Up with a Personal Partner 134Choose a Partner 135Develop a Plan 135Meet with Your Partner 137Week 34 Hook Up with a Mentor 140Mentors in the Family 140Mentors in the Neighborhood 142Mentors in Your Office 142Week 35 Jot Down Ideas for New Opportunities 144Week 36 Nurture Relationships 147Forget about the Money 147Stop Hunting, Start Farming 148Get Connected 148Gather Contact Information 149Keep in Touch 150Give 150Week 37 Launch Your Own Blog 151Brush Up on Blog Basics 152Test Drive a Blog for Free 154Choose a Blog Host and Platform 154Earn Higher Search Engine Rankings 155Week 38 Try an Internet Lead Generation Service 158Assess the Benefits of Lead Generation Services 159Be Prepared 160Week 39 Date Your Leads . . . or Someone Else Will 162Create a System 162Be the First to Call 163Work on Your Follow-Through 164Be Persistent 164Date Your Clients, Too 165Week 40 Build Trust in Online Communities 166What Constitutes Social Media? 167Tap the Power of Social Media Marketing 169Week 41 Fire Your Worst Clients 172When You Can’t Deliver 173When The Customer Is Too Negative 173When the Deal Doesn’t Fit Your Business Plan 174Week 42 Attend a Convention or Seminar 175I Learned the Hard Way 176My First Convention 176Attend Seminars and Workshops 177Network 177Week 43 Host a Seminar or Workshop 179Identify a Need in the Marketplace 181Create Your Workshop or Seminar 181Promote Your Workshop or Seminar 182Week 44 Master the Platinum Rule 183Week 45 Expand into Multicultural Markets 185Test Your Cross-Cultural Competency 186Follow Your Customer’s Lead 186Take a Comprehensive Approach 187Week 46 Avoid or Recover from a Sales Slump 189Avoid Negative People and Situations 189Set a Start Date 190Be Committed 190Make Marketing a Regular Activity 190Keep Records 190Talk to Your Manager about Your Sales Decline 191Learn from Past Mistakes 191Get Your Family and Friends Involved 191Learn to Cope 191Week 47 Build Your Own Sales Team 193What Is a Sales Team? 193Realize the Benefits of the Team-Based Approach 195Are You Team-Ready? 196Take a Lesson from Your Dentist 197Week 48 Sharpen Your Team Management Skills 198Week 49 Close a Sale the Right Way: Six Follow-Up Steps 2011. Save It! 2012. When You Lose a Sale, Find Out Why 2023. Stay in Touch with Them 2024. Thank Them for Their Time 2035. Ask for a Referral 2036. Move On 204Week 50 Become a Lifelong Learner 205Week 51 Just Do It! 209Plan 211Delegate 211Use Technology to Leverage Your Efforts 212Know When to Take a Break 212Week 52 Final Thoughts 214About the Authors 216Index 218